Makers, Periods & Styles Library

Victorian Furniture – the Victorian period coincides with the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. Industrialisation was the key feature of the Victorian era and this enabled the mass production of furniture to suit the needs of the ever expanding middle classes who saw furniture as a status symbol and so...

A Walking Stick is a stick people use to help them balance and give them added support when they are walking. They come in lots of different shapes and sizes and are collectible. They have also been carried as a weapon and there are versions that conceal a sword or knife – knowns a ‘sword […]

Walnut woods have been used for centuries for furniture making and was the most popular of the exotic woods. Walnut veneers was expensive and the cost rose in relation to the fanciness of the veneer – the more decorative being highly sought after. Burr Walnut (also known as Figured Walnut) was considered the best...

Waring & Gillow a noted firm of English furniture makers, was formed by the merging of the famous Gillow of Lancaster and Waring of Liverpool in 1897. Gillow’s of Lancaster were highly successful furniture manufacturers and retailers throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but running into financial difficulties...

Wedgwood is possibly the most famous English pottery manufacturer and has produced china tableware and giftware patterns that are considered amongst England’s finest. It’s founder, Josiah Wedgwood I, is often referred to as the ‘father of English potters’. After working for Thomas Whieldon, Josiah started...

Founded in 1869 was the biggest jewellers in Ireland who specialised in luxury wares including clocks, glasses and porcelain. The company was founded by Thomas Weir who, in 1865, arrived in Ireland from Scotland. He started as the head jeweller at West & Sons but then decided to buy his own shop in 1870. The...

A Wellington Chest is a piece of travel furniture designed for military officers going on campaigns and so had to be compact, practical and easy to dismantle and fold. Named after the 1st Duke of Wellington, the first chest of this type appears in the 1820s and is characterised by a tall narrow shape usually […]

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